The Lifelong Journey of Learning

Learning is in our nature and a lifelong experience

Did you ever get that feeling of passion in the pit of your stomach that drives you to keep going? What evokes such passion? What leads human beings to continue to push themselves to their peaks?

Some may argue that it’s the desire to do better — but what leads to becoming better? The answer is quite simple…people want to learn more. It may not be text book learning, but by nature people are curious, and with each new experience comes the exposure to new information.

What you choose to do with that information is what leads you to success—both personal and professional. Learning is a journey, not a destination…While the thought may seem cliché, it’s without a doubt the truth. Education is the cornerstone to everything. No matter how old you are, there still is much more to learn.

Think about it. Your education didn’t end with a high school diploma; you went on to college to earn a degree or entered the workforce to begin your career. Still, your education did not end with your degree or career. The new skills you learned on your job taught you what many text books can’t—a practical education. You began real life problem solving and real life time management.

In every facet of your life, you have to learn. From parenting, to working, to being social, education plays a major role in your life.

Again, learning does not always come from a book. The quest to better yourself by seeking out information, both hands on and mental, is what makes you a true learner.

Motivation

Intelligent people are intrinsically motivated to learn, and more importantly, they know that they have to fail in order to learn more. So often, people are afraid of learning new things because they are afraid of failing—truth be told, failure is the only teacher you will always get an A from. Simple self reflection and desire can turn any bad experience into a learning experience. There is nothing saying that learning not to repeat a mistake is not learning—in fact, it’s the best and most practical type of life learning that can occur.

Life learning is great, but if you’re the type of person who is looking to expand your mind, then there are ways you can exercise your brain in a traditional learning environment as well. While it may not be a rigorous college course ending with an advanced degree, it makes perfect sense to continually pursue your education—if you are intrinsically motivated to do so. Not only will it make you a better person, it will strengthen your mind.

Finding Your Passion

There are countless ways that you can better yourself with education aside from the daily life lessons you learn every day. Perhaps this is the time to go after your passion and study in the area that you’re zealous about. It can be archeology, astronomy, philosophy or history. History has so much to offer and explore, and it invites travel to many different places. Every town and every city is chock full of local museums and historical events that can keep your interest peaked for a lifetime.

If you find yourself eager to learn, don’t be lead astray by age or experience. It’s never too late to learn more about what you’re passionate about.

Final Thought

Any way you choose to seek out personal growth will be done through education. Be it a traditional setting or just the acceptance that every encounter you have and every success and failure you experience is a result of some type of education.

We hope you enjoyed this guest post. If you get a minute then please LIKE/SHARE/TWEET or leave a comment below. This social currency helps us to grow and improve the value and service we are able to provide for OU students 🙂